“We have laws so that we don’t have to make these decisions ourselves. But as far back as the Acid Man, you have taken it upon yourself to decide how these laws are to be enforced. You’re a romantic. You’re insightful. You’re also an idiot. You shouldn’t be an FBI agent.”

She sighed. “I don’t disagree. But what am I supposed to do now? Amy cannot go free. You see how unfair that would be.”

“To take her down could cost us both our careers. Is she worth it?”

“To me she is.” Kelly paused. “I shouldn’t put you on the spot like this. Forget it, I’ll bring her in myself. You go back to sleep.”

“Okay.”

“Charlie?”

“You’re so full of shit. You know I cannot hang you out to dry.”

“Will you help me?”

“Yes. If you’ll answer one question. Did you sleep with Matt?”

“I slept with him twice. We never had sex. One night was because I was very sick. He took care of me. The other night was because, well, he was losing his mind.”

“I’m losing my mind right now. Do I get to sleep with you?”

“Maybe. When this is all over.”

“I have another question. Are you sure David is dead?”

“Yes. How could he be alive?”

“It’s summertime. The water is cool but not freezing. He could survive for an hour or two if he was in good shape. At least a few boats must have come back from Catalina this late. Maybe someone picked him up.”

“But we searched for him. He went under.”

“From what you said, you didn’t search long. You could have been looking in the wrong place.”

“I wanted to look longer. But Matt said he must be dead.”

“Who hated David more than Matt?” Charlie asked.

“Point taken. I don’t think it’s an issue.”

“What is this Matt like anyway?”

Kelly considered. “He’s very mysterious.”

She returned to the marina. Charlie met her in the far corner of the parking lot forty minutes later. Using a pay phone, they called the police and Coast Guard. Kelly had no trouble conveying where David went overboard. Matt had given her his GPS before splitting. The Coast Guard moved to dispatch a boat. The police would arrive in minutes. Kelly and Charlie asked a security guard where the Stardust was docked. Walking toward the boat, Charlie was in a foul mood.

“The police are already asking why we didn’t call sooner,” he said.

“We just got back to shore.”

“Why no cell phone?”

“You didn’t bring one. Neither did I.”

“Vicki knows I sleep with my cell phone.”

“We’re not talking to her tonight.”

“That’s what you think. She’s our boss. We have to wake her. I want to be the one to arrest Amy.”

“Fine. I want her to remain silent. Give Matt more time.”